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Response to DRMS Adequacy Review — Cotter JD -8 Mine Reclamation Plan Amendment <br />Revised Exhibit E <br />Reclamation Plan <br />JD -8 Mine Permit Amendment <br />Response to Adequacy Review <br />M- 1984 -014 <br />Cotter Corporation (N.S.L.) ( "Cotter ") will restore the affected areas associated with the <br />ventholes on the JD -8 U.S. Department of Energy ( "DOE ") lease tract in accordance <br />primarily with DOE's lease requirements on the JD-8 lease. The land will be reclaimed <br />for range and wildlife habitat to meet DOE's directive to return the land as closely as <br />possible to the pre - mining land use. Cotter will reclaim the affected areas on the <br />patented Opera Box and Doagy No. 2 claims in accordance with the Division of <br />Reclamation, Mining and Safety standards. <br />This area of Montrose County is zoned agricultural -open. The current land use is <br />predominantly mining and grazing, as is the majority of the land in the near vicinity of <br />the mine site. The proposed post - mining land use for range and wildlife habitat should <br />improve forage and habitat for both wildlife and stock. <br />Lower Mine Waste and Portal Area <br />The reclamation plan for the lower mine waste and portal area is to remove the shop /dry <br />building that will be located near the portal area, grade the waste dump on the uphill side <br />into the existing hillside at a slope angle reflecting the surrounding topography (3H:1V or <br />flatter). During construction of the upper portion of the lower mine waste dump the <br />waste material will be stacked in approximately 10 foot lifts, with six feet benches <br />between the crest of the lower lift and the toe of the upper lift. This will reduce the <br />amount of material that will need to be moved during the re- contouring process to <br />achieve the final 2H:1 V desired slope after mining is completed. The remaining sides of <br />this mine waste area will be re- contoured to a 2H:1V slope using a D -6 dozer or <br />equivalent, which will allow it to more readily blend in with the surrounding topography. <br />The mine portal will be backfilled with material immediately below the ore pad area and <br />other mine waste material to a depth of 50 feet or until competent ground is encountered, <br />and then mine waste will be graded into the hillside around the portal area. Once re- <br />contouring of portions of the mine waste dump is complete the previously stockpiled soil <br />cover material will be spread out to lightly cover the mine waste material prior to <br />seeding. This approach has been used at quite a few previously reclaimed DOE /Cotter <br />reclamation efforts, and has proven to be very effective with this type of mine waste <br />material when available soil is limited, as is the case here. <br />Included as part of this Exhibit E are three maps showing the results of the radiometric <br />survey conducted at the lower mine area, and at the proposed access roads and venthole <br />sites on top of Monogram Mesa. <br />The reclamation plan for the proposed ventholes is to plug the shaft using either <br />polyurethane foam with a thickness of 10 feet, or concrete with a thickness of 3 feet, <br />placed far enough down the hole that a minimum of several feet of mine waste and 1 foot <br />of soil cover material can be placed on top of this plug, assuming DOE desires to have <br />Page A -14 <br />